Tomás Ó Flatharta

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A Strange Policy is Reviewed – Support Ukraine’s Resistance Against an Imperialist Russian Invasion “Politically” – But Oppose Giving Arms to the Resisters – A Critique of Irish Left Evasionism

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International solidarity between socialists and anarchists in Ukraine and Ireland is growing. We are united in a desire to see Russia defeated, which will be a blow to the right everywhere. We are equally united in our opposition to Western imperialism and the global capitalists circling Ukraine ready to exploit the country after the war.

One of the disappointing developments of the war is that so many socialists in the West have failed to offer such solidarity. The group we are most familiar with is People Before Profit, and analysing the think piece published in August 2022 by John Molyneux explains why. We offer this critique of John’s article in the hope that there are members of People Before Profit who can save it from its current convergence with the ‘campists’. We hope this can happen in time to make a difference to the growth of practical solidarity between Irish and Ukrainian socialists.

 

Molyneux’s essay begins with an attempt to categorise the debates among the left into three positions:

1. the ‘campists’ in favour of a Russian victory, 

2. those who are for a Ukrainian victory without reservations about NATO and western imperialism, and

3. those who are neither for a Russian victory nor for one for Western imperialism (‘neutrality’)

 

This schema has been derived by working backwards from John’s understandable desire to portray People Before Profit as fundamentally different to the campists, while doubling down on their criticisms of the Ukrainian resistance. For a supposed Marxist analysis it has a deep and irreperable flaw: it has sprung from the head of its author and not from the reality of the situation. Frankly, the left doesn’t have time to ignore reality in this way any more.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Aug 22, 2022 at 5:00 pm

Posted in Anarchism, Anti War Movements, Boycott, Bríd Smith TD, Britain, Conor Kostick, Crimea, Crimean Tatars, Dublin Governments, Eastern Europe, Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF), European Network Solidarity with Ukraine and against war Basic consensus, FFFGGG Coalition, Fourth International, History of Ireland, International Political Analysis, Ireland, James Connolly, John Molyneux, Left Wing Opponents of Neoliberalism, LeftEast, NATO, Neutrality, People Before Profit, President Michael D Higgins, RISE, Russia, Socialist Workers' Party (Britain), Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement), Ukraine, Ukraine : Women Raped by Russian Invaders, Ukraine Russia War 2022

Left Wing Excuses for Avoiding Solidarity with Ukraine

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In many parts of the world, including Ireland, a number of left wing activists and organisations favour a “plague on both houses” approach to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24 2022. These currents desperately seek any excuse to blacken the Ukraine government, peddling false information which justifies an irresponsible refusal to express solidarity with heroic Ukrainian resistance. This plays into the hands of the far-right Moscow ethnic-cleansing aggressor.

One current excuse, which has duped naïve leftists in Ireland, is the claim that Ukrainian President Zelensky “banned virtually all remaining opposition parties at the outbreak of war”. The articles below, which the Swedish comrade Jan Czajkowski has written, demonstrate these claims are false and misleading.

This is the source : http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article63598

A related excuse popped up in Ireland when Sabina Coyne-Higgins wrote a public letter to the Irish Times – also published on the website of the Irish President Michael D Higgins. People Before Profit jumped to the defence of the Coyne-Higgins letter. The deployed excuse was that politicians from right-wing parties such as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Ireland criticised the author.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Aug 21, 2022 at 11:18 am

Posted in 1914 Howth Gun-Running, Anarchism, Anti War Movements, Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS), Conor Kostick, Crimea, Crimean Tatars, Dublin Governments, Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF), European Network Solidarity with Ukraine and against war Basic consensus, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Fourth International, Gombeens, Poltroons, History of Ireland, Human Rights, Independent Left (Ireland), International Political Analysis, Ireland, Irish General Election February 8 2020, Labour Party (Ireland), Left Wing Opponents of Neoliberalism, Left Wing Organisations, Paul Murphy TD Dublin South-West, People Before Profit, Revolutionary History, RISE, Sotsialnyi Rukh (Social Movement), Ukraine, Ukraine : Women Raped by Russian Invaders, Ukraine Russia War 2022

Home Truths About Ukrainian Resistance to the Russian Imperialist Invasion

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“Marine Le Pen’s party is binning its 8-page electoral tract, which features a picture of her shaking hands with Vladimir Putin. Apparently that’s not a vote-winner any more! 1.2 million copies had been printed.”

Hint to Left-Wingers in Anti-War War Movements everywhere :

Russian Troops Out of Ukraine Now!
Solidarity with the Ukrainian Resistance!

Adopt a policy proposed by Noam Chomsky :

Noam Chomsky is the author of more than 150 books on topics such as linguistics, war, politics, and mass media. Ideologically, he aligns with anarcho-syndicalism and libertarian socialism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky?wprov=sfti1

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a major war crime, ranking alongside the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the Hitler-Stalin invasion of Poland in September 1939, to take only two salient examples.
…
Meanwhile, we should do anything we can to provide meaningful support for those valiantly defending their homeland against cruel aggressors, for those escaping the horrors, and for the thousands of courageous Russians publicly opposing the crime of their state at great personal risk, a lesson to all of us.”

https://truthout.org/articles/noam-chomsky-us-military-escalation-against-russia-would-have-no-victors/.
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Written by tomasoflatharta

Mar 2, 2022 at 3:44 pm

Posted in Anarchism, Anti War Movements, Eastern Europe, Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières (ESSF), Fall of the Berlin Wall, Fourth International, France, Gilbert Achcar, International Political Analysis, Ireland, LeftEast, Mass Action, Mass Action Versus Militarism, Revolutionary History, Russia, Russian Revolution 1917, Trotskyism, Ukraine, Ukraine Russia War 2022, War

Paul Murphy TD Message : Immediate Withdrawal of Russian Troops from Ukraine; Anti-War Protest, Dáil Éireann, February 24, 5.30pm

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Paul Murphy TD Tweeted Message https://twitter.com/paulmurphy_TD/status/1496770211176804352

Solidarity with the people in Ukraine. Join the @IrishAntiWarMvt protest at 5.30pm today.

Demand an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.

Oppose any NATO escalation in response which will just threaten an even bloodier conflict.

New Message from former leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn :

Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine will inevitably lead to more fear, misery and death. It is a frightening escalation of the ongoing crisis.

Russia must withdraw its troops and return to diplomacy. If it does not, dark days are ahead for Ukraine, Russia and all of Europe.

The next Irish Anti-War Protest needs to take place outside the Russian Embassy

John Meehan February 24 2022

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 24, 2022 at 12:53 pm

Posted in Anarchism, Anti War Movements, Fall of the Berlin Wall, Fourth International, International Political Analysis, Ireland, Mass Action, Mass Action Versus Militarism, Paul Murphy TD Dublin South-West, People Before Profit, Revolutionary History, RISE, Russia, Russian Revolution 1917, Trotskyism, Ukraine, Ukraine Russia War 2022, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Russian Anarchists – Autonomous Action – Issue Excellent Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine – Against Annexations and Imperial Aggression

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Against Annexations and Imperial Aggression

The source for this statement is a Facebook Group “Leftist Trainspotters”.

Yesterday, on February 21, an extraordinary meeting of the Russian Security Council was held. As part of this theatrical act, Putin forced his closest servants to publicly “ask” him to recognize the independence of the so-called “people’s republics” of the Luhansk People’s Republic [LPR] and Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] in eastern Ukraine.

It is quite obvious that this is a step towards the further annexation of these territories by Russia—no matter how it is formalized (or not formalized) legally. In fact, the Kremlin ceases to consider the LPR and DPR part of Ukraine and finally makes them its protectorate. “First the recognition of independence, then annexation”: this sequence was already worked out in 2014 in Crimea. This is also clear from Naryshkin’s stupid reservations at the meeting of the Security Council (“Yes, I support the entry of these territories into the Russian Federation “).1. Since the meeting, as it turned out, was broadcast on tape [rather than live], and these “reservations” were not cut out, but left in—the hint is clear.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_Action?wprov=sfti1
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Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 23, 2022 at 8:58 pm

Posted in Anarchism, Autonomous Action (Russia), Ireland, Russia, Russian Revolution 1917, Ukraine, Ukraine Russia War 2022